A partnership between Meteorology and Journalism provides students with hands-on experience broadcasting their weather forecasts through the "Centre County Report."

A partnership between Meteorology and Journalism provides students with hands-on experience broadcasting their weather forecasts through the "Centre County Report."

It's still a solid hour before sunrise with sub-zero wind chills, but nothing slows Penn State Meteorology student Ryan Breton

Weather on the Air: For Meteorology students with broadcast ambitions, a partnership with the Department of Journalism provides real-world experience in front of the camera.

It's still a solid hour before sunrise with sub-zero wind chills, but nothing slows Penn State Meteorology
student Ryan Breton on his way to work in Walking Building on the west
side of the University Park campus, where a partnership with the Department of Journalism has him receiving hands-on experience in broadcasting.

On the building's sixth floor—home of the Joel N. Myers Weather Center—Breton
starts reviewing weather information from a variety of sources. He's on
deadline, working with industry standard computer software to produce
on-screen graphics and maps, getting ready to compile a daily video
forecast to be used by the "Centre County Report."

Campus Weather Service Office: The Campus Weather Service office is
where students do the weather forecasting and develop television
graphics for the broadcast. "If anyone graduates and goes into
television, and they've been through Campus Weather Service, they are
going to be a pro at making graphics," says Meteorology student Ryan
Breton, pictured in the foreground. Image: Michelle Bixby

Campus Weather Service

Breton, a junior from Atkinson, New Hampshire, serves as president of the Campus Weather Service
(CWS)—a group of students dedicated to providing free weather forecasts
and severe weather alerts to Pennsylvania radio stations, the student
newspaper, and C-NET.

On top of the normal rigors of college, CWS students—about 100
strong—spend their days mapping and sharing our forecast. They can
deliver breaking news and even report live from locations around State
College when the weather gets dicey.

"I'd say for a university program, this is about as close to the real thing as you can get," says Breton.